Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men and Women

Abstract

OBJECTIVE -To examine the association between magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -We followed 85,060 women and 42,872 men who had no history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline. Magnesium intake was evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire every 2-4 years. After 18 years of follow-up in women and 12 years in men, we documented 4,085 and 1,333 incident cases of type 2 diabetes, respectively. RESULTS -After adjusting for age, BMI, physical activity, family history of diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, and history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia at baseline, the relative risk (RR) of type 2 diabetes was 0.66 (95% CI 0.60 -0.73; P for trend Ͻ0.001) in women and 0.67 (0.56 -0.80; P for trend Ͻ0.001) in men, comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of total magnesium intake. The RRs remained significant after additional adjustment for dietary variables, including glycemic load, polyunsaturated fat, trans fat, cereal fiber, and processed meat in the multivariate models. The inverse association persisted in subgroup analyses according to BMI, physical activity, and family history of diabetes.CONCLUSIONS -Our findings suggest a significant inverse association between magnesium intake and diabetes risk. This study supports the dietary recommendation to increase consumption of major food sources of magnesium, such as whole grains, nuts, and green leafy vegetables. Diabetes Care 27:134 -140, 2004T ype 2 diabetes is on track to become one of the major global public health challenges of the 21st century (1). Primary prevention remains the major strategy to control this worldwide epidemic.Modification of western diet and lifestyles is effective in preventing diabetes in high-risk populations (2). The western diet is characterized by high intake of saturated and trans fats and refined grains and low intakes of whole grains, vegetables, and fiber, resulting in low micronutrient intake (3). Few studies have addressed the association between specific micronutrient components of western diets and diabetes risk.Magnesium is an important component of many unprocessed foods, such as whole grains, nuts, and green leafy vegetables, and it is largely lost during the processing of some foods (4). The overprocessing of food and adoption of western diets have contributed to the substantially reduced magnesium intake in industrialized countries during the last century.Hypomagnesemia is a common feature in patients with type 2 diabetes (5). Although diabetes can induce hypomagnesemia, magnesium deficiency has also been proposed as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (6). Magnesium is a necessary cofactor for several enzymes that play an important role in glucose metabolism (7). Animal studies (8,9) have shown that magnesium deficiency has a negative effect on the post-receptor signaling of insulin. Some short-term metabolic studies (10,11) suggest that magnesium supplementation has a beneficial effect on insulin action and glucose metabolism.In our ...

Antidiabetic effect of Withania coagulans in experimental rats

“…The concentration of Mg and Ca was found much higher than the other inorganic minerals. It has been already reported that the higher concentration of Mg and lower concentration of K plays a vital role in diabetes management (15,16). Hence the significant antidiabetic potential of W.…”

Urinary sodium and potassium excretion and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study in Finland

“…Low intake of potassium and a high urinary sodium to potassium ratio have indicated a direct relationship with essential hypertension [10][11][12][13][14][15]. A significant inverse relationship between magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes has been found in several prospective studies [20,21]. The opposing effects of high levels of sodium and low levels of magnesium and potassium on the risk of type 2 diabetes are a potential explanation for the observed results.…”

“…Some studies [16][17][18] but not all [19] have demonstrated that hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance were present in normotensive or hypertensive salt-sensitive patients compared with salt-resistant subjects. Higher intake of magnesium might improve glucose disposal and insulin action and reduce the risk of the development of type 2 diabetes [20,21]. However, dietary magnesium in-take seems to be associated with sodium-and potassiumintake levels and sodium opposes magnesium and potassium in many physiological processes [8,10,22].…”

Magnesium and Type 2 Diabetes: An Update

“…Mg intake has been also strongly and inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome [37,51], while hypomagnesaemia has been independently associated with the development of impaired glucose tolerance [52]. Increased Mg intake is associated with increased insulin sensitivity [53] and a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes [54,55]. In a prospective study of more than 85,000 women, followed for 18 months the relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes for women in the highest quintile of Mg consumption was 0.68 compared with women in the lowest quintile after adjustment for a number of potentially confounding variables.…”

“…In a prospective study of more than 85,000 women, followed for 18 months the relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes for women in the highest quintile of Mg consumption was 0.68 compared with women in the lowest quintile after adjustment for a number of potentially confounding variables. A significant inverse association was found between Mg intake and diabetes risk [55]. In the Women's Health Study, a cohort of 39,345 U.S. women aged ≥45 years with no previous history of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or type 2 diabetes was recruited and followed for an average of 6 years.…”